New fault line swallows roads, farms and crops

Apr. 17, 2018, 12:15 am

By GEORGE MURAGE

e new fault line in Kipkonyo village, Naivasha /GEORGE MURAGE

Families in Moi Ndabi, Naivasha, are terrified after another fault line opened up in the area, cutting off roads and causing some farms to sink.
The government has urged residents near the 2km-long fault line to move to safer grounds. This comes as heavy rains continue to pound the area. The huge and deep fissure, which was first noticed on Sunday, is similar to the one that cut off a section of the Mai Mahiu-Narok road recently.
Area MCA Kamanu Gathariki said the new fault line has affected homes and farms between Kipkonyo Primary School and Tangi Tatu village. He said the problem started after heavy rains saturated the ground. Gathariki said some areas are inaccessible due to the fault line. “The fault line is literally swallowing up farms and roads. Several houses could go the same way if the ongoing rains continue,” he said.

Kamanu said they have sought the assistance of geologists from Nakuru. “Currently, all the major roads in this ward are impassable due to the rains. The situation has been made worse by the developing fault line,” he said.
Naivasha assistant subcounty commissioner Joseph Opondo said residents have started to move to safer grounds. He said crops have been destroyed by the rains and the fault line, whose cause was not immediately known. “There is a fault line developing in Moi Ndabi and we are working with the county government to assist the affected families,” he said.
In an interview, Opondo urged affected families to be cautious. “The ongoing rains have left a trail of destruction in this area and this could worsen in the coming days,” he said. Opondo said no life has been lost in the floods in the area.
Last month, a group of IDPs and farmers fled their homes in Mai Mahiu after the fault line that cut the Mai Mahiu-Narok road spread to their farms. The line destroyed crops and cut off feeder roads.
The wide and deep fissures were caused by floods washing away deep deposits of volcanic ash, the Geological Society of Kenya said. It sought to allay fears by some people that the phenomenon could lead to parts of the African continent drifting apart.